Kenyan athlete stoned to death
2008-01-04 16:38
Eldoret - A Kenyan Olympic runner
who competed internationally for many years was amongst victims
of the country's post-poll violence when a mob stoned him to
death this week, a close friend said on Friday.
Lucas Sang, a middle-distance runner, had competed in the
1988 Seoul Olympics as part of Kenya's 4x400 metre relay
quartet, and again in the 1992 games in Barcelona.
Violence has erupted in opposition strongholds in the east
African nation over a disputed presidential election that saw
President Mwai Kibaki just defeat challenger Raila Odinga, amid
accusations of vote-rigging.
A close friend of Sang and also a former professional
athlete, Martin Keino, said the runner was attacked on Tuesday
night by a stone-throwing gang as he walked with a group of
friends. He died when a rock hit his head and the gang then
burned his body.
"One of the ways they recognised him was there was a piece
of his tracksuit still not burnt on the leg," Keino said. "It's
really sad. He was very well known and popular."
Ethnic clashes
Eldoret has seen the worst of ethnic clashes many Kenyans
can scarcely believe are happening in their country, usually
seen as a relatively stable nation in a turbulent region.
Much of the violence has targeted Kibaki's large,
economically dominant Kikuyu ethnic group, especially in Eldoret
and the Rift Valley region, where around 90 people have been
killed and hundreds of homes burned.
Thousands of people have fled town and around 40 000 in the
Rift Valley region are internally displaced, aid workers say.
Keino said the rioters mistook the athlete - who hails from
the Kalenjin tribe whose youths have launched many of the
attacks in Eldoret - for a Kikuyu.
"It was at night, in the dark. Tensions are high. They
mistook him for someone else, I guess. No one would have done
this if they knew it was him. He was so respected."
Top athletes
Lying around 2 000 metres above sea level on
the western side of Kenya's fork of the Great Rift Valley,
Eldoret has produced a series of top athletes.
The most famous, Paul Tergat, held the world record for the
marathon from 2003 to 2007, until he was beaten by arch rival
Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia.
Keino said Tergat was a friend of Sang, but he had not yet
managed to contact him to tell him. "He'll be very disappointed,
very sad," he said.
A funeral will be held in Eldoret on Saturday. Keino said he
hoped it would bring people together. "Hopefully, it's going to
make people realise this violence has to stop."